Robert Bily (Biography)

“I heard him at the Ettlingen International Piano Competition in Germany last year, where he was awarded First Prize. He has always impressed me as a young musician of unusual temperament and genuine originality.”

*Professor Daejin Kim, Korean National University of Arts*

“Robert exhibits a very strong musical personality, with a rich inner world full of feeling and imagination. He possesses a beautiful, expressive musicality and always plays with both charm and intensity. His technique is extremely polished and refined for his age.”

*Professor Arie Vardi, Director of the Artur Rubinstein Competition in Tel Aviv*

“I am thrilled to have found one of our strongest winners ever in Robert Bily! Since I first heard him a few years ago, I have recognized an exceptionally mature and fascinating young artist.”

*Matei Varga, Director of the Vendôme Prize*

Robert Bily is a German pianist with Czech roots. Born in 1997 in Ústí nad Labem, Czech Republic, he began piano studies at the age of six. From 2003 to 2007 he studied with Margarita Gebhardt in Halle (Saale), Germany, and from 2007 to 2014 with Dirk Fischbeck at the August Hermann Francke Latina Grammar School in Halle. Between 2012 and 2014 he also took regular lessons with Gerald Fauth at the University of Music and Theatre *Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy* Leipzig, before continuing his training with Jacques Ammon. In 2017 he entered the Mozarteum University in Salzburg to study with Pavel Gililov, where he completed his bachelor’s degree in 2021. He then began a master’s degree in Salzburg, later transferring to Berlin, where he is currently studying with Markus Groh.

He has participated in masterclasses with renowned pianists and professors including Emanuel Ax, Barry Douglas, Arie Vardi, Daejin Kim, Robert Levin, Vincenzo Balzani, and Claudio Martínez Mehner.

Robert is the winner of numerous national and international competitions, including First Prizes at the Vendôme Prize, Ettlingen International Piano Competition, Johann Nepomuk Hummel International Piano Competition, Prix du Piano Bern, International Music Festival in Paris, Troisdorf International Piano Competition, International Bachelor Award in Düsseldorf, the “Virtuosi” International Piano Competition in his hometown Ústí nad Labem, and the “Rising Star” Music Competition in Berlin. He also received the First Prize and Grand Prix as overall winner of all categories at both the International Music Competition *Young Talents & Orchestra* in Milan and the Tadini International Music Competition in Lovere. In 2016, he won Second Prize at the Eurovision Young Musicians International Competition in Cologne, where he was the highest-ranked pianist.

He regularly performs as a soloist at prestigious music festivals including the Salzburg Festival, Händel Festival, and Schleswig-Holstein Musik Festival, and has already appeared in Germany, Switzerland, Austria, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Luxembourg, Italy, England, Spain, Norway, and the United Arab Emirates.